Intro: The heroes are on their way to the town Lothosian town of Iredell, a town of approximately 400 people near the edge of the realm, to investigate an increase in orc raids and other strange occurrences. The journey from the thorp of Thorpe is a 3 day trek through some fairly untamed wilderness. The first day and night passes without incident (50/50 shot of an encounter, 1-10 no encounter, I roll a 3), but on night two (75% chance for encounter because I need one for the test, I roll an 8 so there’s one) so as the party is setting up camp, Arisema is out gathering more wood for the fire, when she comes into a clearing straight into sight of an owlbear.

The owlbear, being foul-tempered and hungry immediately goes into attack mode.

Round 1: Initiative: Arisema – 25, Owlbear – 6. Arisema will shout to her friends, who will come running, but it will take 2 rounds for the first two to arrive, and after a couple of random rolls, it will be Sister Eli and Sister Jhaelryna Tuin who show up in Round 4. The rest will make it in Round 6. Arisema draws her sword and goes full defense. The owlbear charges (-2 attack) and Arisema easily defends, rolling a natural 2 against her adjusted 17.

Round 2: Arisema will PA2 with her sword against the owlbear and she hits with a 17+4=21. The owlbear has to make a toughness check at DC21 and hit does with a 17+7=24. The owlbear AA2 with his talons and hits with a 15+6+2=23. Arisema has to make a toughness check at DC21, but she blows it with 4+4=8. She’ll use her HP to re-roll and gets a 10+10+4=24 to make the save.

Round 3: Arisema will DA2 with her sword again and misses with 2. The owlbear goes AA3 with his talons and hits again 18+6+3=27. Arisema gets a 16 on her check against DC21 to take 2nd degree damage. Fortunately for her, the cavalry is coming...

Status – Arisema (2nd degree damage, 0 hp), Owlbear (fine,1 hp)

Round 4: The Sisters jump in! Sister Eli gets a 15 initiative, Sister Jhaelryna gets a 21. So the new order is Arisema, Jhaelryna, Eli, owlbear. Let’s so how the numbers advantage plays out. Arisema uses her one action to DA2 and she hits thanks to the owlbear being wide open after the AA, 8+4=12. He has to make a check against DC21, natural 1…let’s re-roll that, yikes, a 2 but with 10 and his +7 Toughness, he gets a 19 to only take 1st degree damage. Jhaelryna stays at range and fires an arrow, AA2 and she misses with a 3. Sister Eli has use her move action to move into melee range and she PA2 unarmed and hits, 12+6=18. The owlbears makes the DC19 check with a natural 19. Let’s see who he attacks (1-10, Arisema; 11-20 Sister Eli…1…poor Arisema). Smelling blood, the beast again goes AA2 and hits again 18+8=26. Arisema blows the save with a 6+3=9 for 3rd degree damage. She’s hurtin’ bad.

Round 5: The dudes are still a round away. Arisema needs to pull back and Recover. She uses her only action try and move out of melee range but she is -1 speed so she can’t get completely out of the danger zone. Jhaelryna goes PA2 with her Ray of Faith and hits 17+2=19. The owlbear has to save at DC23 and he does not, with 5+6=11 for 3rd degree damage. However, since the owlbear took that damage, that triggers his Stunning Screech so he lets loose with burst that will catch Arisema and Sister Eli in the burst. They both make the Dodge check to reduce the effect to half, but both blow the Fort check with both at 5+4=9 for a 1st degree failure, so they are both Dazed. Sister Eli goes to try and take him out with a PA2 and misses, 5+6==11. The owlbear can only take an action, so he goes AA3 against Sister Eli and hits 18+9=26. She makes the DC21 check, though, 19+3=22.

Round 6: Now the rest of the party shows up. For initiative, Barunn gets a 13, Jobymme gets a 16 and Beaver the Bard gets a 20. So the order is Arisema, Jhaelryna, Beaver, Jobymme, Sister Eli, Barunn, owlbear. Arisema will use her action to Recover, getting rid of her 3rd degree damage. Jhaelryna will fire another arrow and hits. The owlbear only gets a 5+5=10 for 2nd degree damage. Beaver will Aid Jobymme. He gets the check against 10 so Jobymme will get +2 to hit. Jobymme will save his spells and go in with his claws, PA2 and misses, of course. Sister Eli goes SA and hits, 8+8=16. The owlbear has to make a DC19 check and does. Barunn goes AA2, and misses. Amazingly enough, the owlbear survived that round but even it knows enough to get out there against those numbers, so it lumbers off and despite Arisema’s desire to go after it, Jobymme and Jhaelryna talk her out of it.

Comments: Well, what did we learn from that? First off, I roll AWESOME for owlbears!

Second, he did better against numbers that I thought. Even though the ladies in the party are not big hitters, he took some good shots and kept on coming. Although he made it through that last round with the whole team, I think he would have been in real trouble the next round so I figured I would be nice and let him live to lick his wounds and come back against them later on. Woodclaw was definitely right about the numbers game. I would think I’d need a PL8 to be a real solo threat against this team of 6. I’ll have to add a couple of pumped up versions of some of monsters that I’ve done far for future encounters.

All of the PCs performed as I expected in a limited test, especially for the men in the group. It will be interesting to see how they do against some numbers against them, which will be my next endeavor.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Sat Jan 26, 2013 9:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

COMPLICATIONS:Disability: Zombies permanently have the Dazed conditions, allowing them only a standard action each roundSlow: Zombies can only move 20 ft per roundVulnerable: Zombies are vulnerable to radiant damage

Comments: My zombies for the Gloriant setting are a bit of combination between regular fantasy zombies and Dresdenverse zombies. In the Dresden Files, particularly the novel Dead Beat, the zombies are almost super strong, able to sling a full size desk across a room. They're also pretty tough and can actually sprint fast enough to catch the Beetle when Harry was flooring it. Well, not the Beetle was fast, mind you, but still, most Zombies can't sprint. Mine are just close to peak human strength and plenty tough, otherwise, they function like regular movie/fantasy zombies. They’re slow, mindless, but if they get a hold of you, it’s tough to get away.

Here's some Mass Combat for them. I made their Morale sky high because really, how can you demoralize zombies? They never seem to get driven off, they either kill you or get killed.

We're taking a break from the fantasy builds to add a few new items to our Bleach Aisle! We're starting out with this new item for our Villains Line!

(To Ichigo Kurosaki) Those eyes. You're always like that. No matter how much I beat you up, you've got this sense about you that you're going to beat me. You think you're freaking stronger than me! I can't freakin' stand it! - Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez

COMPLICATIONS:Enemy: Ichigo KurosakiPower Loss: It takes a lot of spiritual energy for Shinigami to use Bankai and Arrancar to use Resurreccion. As such, it is up to the GM to determine when and if those powers can be activated and maintaining usage of those powers can eventually lead to exhaustion and inability to utilize those powers until the users' spiritual pressure has a chance to rechargeResponsibility: To Lord AizenRivalry: Most of the other Espada, especially LuppiTemper: He has a fiery temper that gets the best of him at times and gets him into situations he shouldn't be in

Comments: Grimmjow became in instant hit as a recurring nemesis for Ichigo in the Hueco Mundo Arc, with his bad boy attitude and style. As much as I hated to admit it, I like him, too. Despite being pretty straight forward as a brawler type, he’s pretty effective and in most battles he forced Ichigo to pull out his Hollow Mask to be able to take him out so I feel pretty good about his PL and abilities.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Sun Jan 13, 2013 10:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

You want a reason ... for fighting? Why don't you just accept it already, Ichigo?! You seek out fights. You desire power. Isn't that right, Ichigo? Everyone who searches for power, without exception, searches for battle! Do you fight in order to become more powerful? Or do you want more power so you can fight? I can't tell you that. The only thing I know for sure is guys like us were born this way! We were born to fight, Ichigo! Your instincts will keep leading you toward new battles. It's the only way you have. The only way to become stronger. Fight, Ichigo! If you want the power to control your enemy, take that sword in your hand and cut him down! That's your only option! That's the road that continues in front of you and remains behind you Ichigo! - Kenpachi Zaraki

COMPLICATIONS:Obsession: FightingRelationships: He will kill anyone who harms Yachiru and looks out for his squad membersReputation: The biggest bad ass fighter in the Soul SocietyResponsibility: As a Shinigami, he has the responsibiliy to purify hollows, lead pluses to the Soul Society and uphold the laws of the Gotei 13 as the Captain of Squad 11

Comments: Kenpachi Zaraki is a man who lives up to the J-Mart ideals of violence and more violence for violence’s sake. I smile every time he shows up on the show. He is the top fighting dog of the fightin’-est fighting unit in the Soul Society, Squad 11. He is the easiest Captain to build by far because he is straightforward, no-nonsense “you wanna throw down? Excellent. You get first shot but I’ll get the last shot but you better be good enough for me to put in some effort or I will make your death painful instead of quick” type of fighter.

The one thing I didn’t put in that question is something about his lack of direction sense, which is well noted, but I supposed you could just wing that as a general complication.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Sun Jan 13, 2013 10:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

We've got a couple more builds for our Bleach Aisle in the stockroom. Check out this J-Mart Favorite item for Aisle 7!

You sure have a different way of getting down to business. "To announce your name and rank" is a custom taught to us when we learn how to fight. It's known as the last courtesy. If a person dies in combat, at least you get to know the name of the one that brought death to you. Third Seat of Zaraki's Division, Ikkaku Madarame. As for the lowlifes who ignore this etiquette, I simply kill them, after they know who did them in. - Ikkaku Madarame

COMPLICATIONS:Honor: Despite having near Captain level abilities, he remains the 3rd seat of his Division because he feels it is life's purpose to die fighting under the command of Captain Kenpachi ZarakiObsession: FightingPain In The Ass: Ikkaku can be pretty rude and aggressive most of the time which cause social issues for himPower Loss: It takes a lot of spiritual energy for Shinigami to use Bankai and Arrancar to use Resurrecion. As such, it is up to the GM to determine when and if those powers can be activated and maintaining usage of those powers can eventually lead to exhaustion and inability to utilize those powers until the users' spiritual pressure has a chance to rechargeRelationships: He will lay down his life for Captain Zaraki and his Squad 11 teammatesResponsibility: As a Shinigami, he has the responsibility to purify hollows, lead pluses to the Soul Society and uphold the laws of the Gotei 13 as the 3rd Seat of Squad 11

Comments: Ikkaku is a fun character from Bleach. Like his Captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, he lives to fight. Back in the day, when both of them were pretty much just street fighters, they fought and Kenpachi kicked his ass. Since then, Ikkaku has sworn his loyalty to him and remains his 3rd seat (since Yachiru is his Lieutenant), even though he could be a Lieutenant of just about any other squad and actually, since he has mastered his Bankai, he could probably be a Captain. But he keeps that fact hidden because he feels it is his destiny to die fighting under the command of Kenpachi and if it gets out, he will get pushed to be, or even forcibly promoted to another squad.

As a build, he was one of the quickest Bleach builds to do, much like Kenpachi. He’s a brawler and even his Bankai is pretty much just more…him. He just hits harder and is tougher to bring down and in the anime, he really doesn’t get tougher but I wanted him to hit his full caps. He’s a J-Mart type of guy all the way.

We at this moment head into the decisive battle. Have faith that our blades will not shatter. Have faith that our hearts will not waiver. And even if our paths should diverge, we all share a heart of iron. Swear that even if the ground beneath us should be rent asunder we will live and return to this place again. - Renji Abarai

COMPLICATIONS:Power Loss: It takes a lot of spiritual energy for Shinigami to use Bankai and Arrancar to use Resurreccion. As such, it is up to the GM to determine when and if those powers can be activated and maintaining usage of those powers can eventually lead to exhaustion and inability to utilize those powers until the users' spiritual pressure has a chance to rechargeRelationships: He is very close to Rukia Kuchiki, Ikkaku Madarame and his Captain, Byakuya Kuchiki. He has become friends with Orihime, Chad, Uryu and Ichicgo (most of the time)Responsibility: As a Shinigami, he has the responsibility to purify hollows, lead pluses to the Soul Society and uphold the laws of the Gotei 13 as the Lieutenant of Squad 6Rivalry: Ichigo (most of the time) and Uryu (most of the time)

Comments: Renji is a fun character in Bleach. He starts out as a bit of an a-hole but he ends up growing on you when you realize his motivations and his true nature. He's the Lieutenant of Squad 6 under Byakuya Kuchiki, and a long time friend of his sister, Rukia. He and Ichigo have a good fight when the series is new, but as things progress, Ichigo blows by him in power, but Renji improves, too, after more training with Byakuya and mainly, Ikkaku.

I love his Bankai visually, with his sword turning into a baboon-headed-snake-thing that can blast and strike.

Comments: Instead of ghouls being undead creatures in my setting, I am using Dresdenverse style ghouls. In that universe, they are not undead, but vicious magical humanoid predators, normally employed by the “evil” side, like Red Court Vampires or evil wizards. They can appear as normal humans, hence the minor morph, but when it's time to kill, their features morph in a more ghoul-ish appearance and they show off their supernatural speed and toughness. They are not much of a challenge to Harry and his allies in small numbers, but the problem is that they usually show up in a large numbers and that makes them a real challenge.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:08 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Comments: Ah, Trolls. Gotta love ‘em. Big, dumb, and nigh unkillable. A low level parties' nightmare. I always like to make the players roll a high DC check if their characters are low level to see if they know about the fire stuff, since pretty much all the regular players know the deal, but their characters should not.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

COMPLICATIONS:Enemy: Angels, Holy Warrior, Celestial beingsObsession: Causing as much death and destruction as they canPower Loss: Demons lose their Impervious Toughness against Holy attacksRivalry: Most other demonsVulnerable: Demons are vulnerable against holy effects and in holy locationsWeakness: Demons can be bound by invoking their true name. They also lose their immunities against and cannot use their powers against someone who has invoked their real name

Comments: I was going to do a big writeup before I started a demon run for my fantasy setting, but lost my writing mojo for the moment and decided to just start posting the builds. As I stated in an earlier post, there are no devils in the Gloriant setting, or rather, all of demons and devils have been combined into one "race" and I'll generally be calling of them demons. Most are inspired by D&D demons/devils, but I plan on working a few of my own over time.

I had to start out with Vrocks because they hold a special place in my heart. My original DM threw them at us all the time. He LOVED them. Once we got to be about 5th level in 1st edition, we fought Vrocks all the frickin' time. I hated them then, but as I get older and long for the days of my youth, I know look at them fondly. Go fig.

I am trying to stick with a pretty standard format for my demons, keeping the same immunities, senses and such, and just adding their specific powers. I will pump up the higher level demons and demon lords in some areas, but for the most part, their complications will be the same.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

COMPLICATIONS:Enemy: Angels, Holy Warrior, Celestial beingsObsession: Causing as much death and destruction as they canPower Loss: Demons lose their Impervious Toughness against Holy attacksRivalry: Most other demonsVulnerable: Demons are vulnerable against holy effects and in holy locationsWeakness: Demons can be bound by invoking their true name. They also lose their immunities against and cannot use their powers against someone who has invoked their real name

Comments: Carnage demons are exactly as they are named. They attack without hesitation and live to wreak havoc. They pretty unpredictable and hard to control, even occasionally turning on their summoner, or breaking ranks in demon hordes.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.